Geothermal Heating

How much can I really save by installing a geothermal system?

Your exact savings will be determined by many variables, such as your climate, thermostat setting and electric rate, among others. Most homeowners will see a reduction of 30 to 70 percent in their heating and cooling costs.

A study by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency showed that geothermal systems have the lowest life-cycle cost of all heating and cooling systems currently on the market. Lower maintenance costs and longer life expectancy of geothermal units should certainly be taken into consideration when determining true savings.
To see how much a GeoComfort geothermal system can save you, please visit us at www.geocomfort.com and click on the “Savings Tool”.

Solar energy disbursement

In the purest sense, geothermal systems use solar energy. The earth absorbs an amazing 48% of the sun’s energy, leaving a fairly constant underground temperature between 45° and 70° F.

A water solution flows through pipes buried in the ground (ground loop system) absorbing heat from the earth in the winter and moving it to the geothermal system inside the house. Once there, the heat is condensed and transferred to the air that is circulated throughout the home, providing warmth when needed.
In the summer, the process is reversed, absorbing heat from the air inside the home, similar to how a refrigerator extracts heat from food to make it cool, and transfers that heat into the ground through the same loop system.

Heating and cooling cycles

During the heating cycle, the fluid circulates through the loop extracting heat from the ground. The heat energy is transferred to the geothermal unit. The unit compresses the extracted heat to a high temperature and delivers it to your home through a normal duct system or radiant heat system.

What is the real environmental impact?

According to data supplied by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Geothermal Technologies, nearly 40% of all U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) are the result of using energy to heat, cool and provide hot water for buildings. This is about the same amount of CO2 contributed by the transportation sector. Versus a conventional fossil fuel system, a standard 3-ton residential geothermal system produces approximately one less pound of carbon dioxide (CO2) for every hour of use. Over twenty years, the carbon footprint reduction would be equivalent to planting 120,000 acres of trees or converting over 58,000 cars to zero emission vehicles.

Taking advantage of the “hot water assist” option, lowers emissions even further by allocating heat removed from the home during the cooling season to provide hot water for household consumption. In addition to the environmental benefit, hot water costs can be reduced by as much as 30%.